Football celebrated the life of one of its most passionate characters on Friday at the funeral of former Aston Villa chairman Sir Doug Ellis.
Ellis, who spent 31 years as Aston Villa chairman over two spells from 1968 to 2006, died last month at the age of 94.
Former England stars Bryan Robson and David Platt were among the mourners at the funeral, with the cortege driving by Villa Park - where one of the stands bears Ellis' name - on its way to the church.
Ex-Aston Villa players such as Platt - who played for the club between 1988 and 1991 - were present to bid farewell to the man nicknamed 'Deadly Doug'.
However Ellis' standing in football was demonstrated by the presence of heroes from other clubs, such as ex-Manchester United captain Robson and Manchester City legend Mike Summerbee.
Also present were former managers of Villa, including Brian Little, who served under Ellis between 1994 and 1998.
Several former chairmen and executives of Premier League clubs, contemporaries of Ellis, were also present, such as former Arsenal chief David Dein and ex-Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale.
The funeral of the former owner of Villa, who passed away on October 11, was held at Aston Parish Church, just around the corner from his beloved Villa Park, at 11am on November 9.
The service was for family and invited guests only, but plenty of fans lined the street to show their respect for a man inextricably linked to the modern history of their club.
Plenty applauded out of respect and admiration as Ellis made his final journey, which appropriately saw the cortege pass the stadium where one of the stands bears his name.
Ellis was chairman of Villa for two spells, first from 1968 to 1975, before returning to the club after their European Cup success in 1982 until retirement in 2006. He was later president emeritus of the club.
Villa held a minute's silence before their Championship clash with Swansea at Villa Park. The players wore black armbands.
Ellis' nickname 'Deadly Doug' was given to him by Jimmy Greaves. It became linked to his propensity to sack managers - with 15 coming and going during his 31 years at the club - but former Villa boss Ron Atkinson insists it came about via fishing.
He said: 'It was a reputation forged by Jimmy Greaves when the two of them went salmon fishing and Doug became deadly for the way in which he slapped Jimmy over the head with his catch.'
Villa won the League Cup three times during Ellis' reign - in 1975, 1994 and 1996 - but he was not on the board for their European Cup win, returning as chairman shortly after.
His lasting legacy at the club is the rebuilding work he did at Villa Park, with the Doug Ellis Stand named in his honour.
Ellis made his money through a variety of industries including travel, construction and even cider making. At his height he owned 19 companies - 12 in the UK.
He gave away fortunes to charity, earning him and OBE and later a knighthood. He leaves behind second wife Heidi and three sons.